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Oct 16, 2023
4 minutes read

Combat SMS Pumping (AIT) Fraud Effectively With CM.com

In this digital era, providing the optimal customer experience means connecting and engaging with your customers online on their favorite platforms and channels. Online (automated) customer engagement and A2P (application-to-person) messaging is bigger than ever, which unfortunately also means that messaging fraud is on the rise. Artificially Inflated Traffic (AIT) fraud has become an alarming issue in the telecommunications industry, but worry not! CM.com has built the perfect safeguard feature to protect your business endeavors from AIT fraud.

What is Artificially Inflated Traffic (AIT)?

Artificially Inflated Traffic (AIT), SMS pumping, or traffic pumping is a type of fraud in which criminals (try to) exploit automated (SMS) log-in systems to trigger sharp spikes in traffic toward numbers they own or to a range of numbers controlled by a specific mobile network operator (MNO) with whom they conspire. Criminals reap a share of the revenue generated in this way, but the CM.com account holder gets to foot the bill.

fraud-monitoring-sms-pumpingSMS Pumping (AIT) can often be recognised by a spike of messages sent to a block of consecutive numbers (i.e. +1234567890, +1234567891, +1234567892, +1234567893 and so on). These numbers are most probably controlled by the same MNO. A telltale sign for fraudulent use of a one-time SMS passcode is an incomplete verification cycle. Unfortunately, advanced fraudsters even have the tools to fake a completed verification cycle.

It's safe to say that the surge in SMS Pumping fraud is worrisome for the telecommunications industry, and it can result in increased costs and reputational damage for your business. Recognising the problem our customers face, CM.com has launched a new safeguard feature to help keep your business safe.

Read the press release: Safeguard Destination Management>

Safeguard: Destination Management

The new safeguard feature Destination Management of our communications platform will empower you to protect yourself against AIT fraud by managing messaging traffic to specific destinations (countries).

combat-sms-pumping-fraud-effectively-1Destination Blocking

You have the power to selectively block messaging traffic to specific destinations. This includes the ability to block traffic to destinations where your business has no involvement, activities, or interests.

Allow List

You can also implement an "allow list" approach, where all messaging destinations are blocked by default, except for those countries explicitly added to the allow list.

Available from 10-10-2023

The tool will be available for all customers in a self-service format. It will be available for customers as of 10-10-2023 via

Channels | API Access & Settings | Business Messaging Settings

At this time, we'll introduce a new tab labelled Safeguard

Combat SMS PumpingCM.com as Your Messaging Provider

Our commitment to safeguarding your communication extends far beyond the Destination Management feature. Explore our Trust Center to delve into the comprehensive measures we've put in place to ensure your safety.

It's crucial to understand the prevalent forms of messaging fraud that can affect your business and discover how to shield your customers from such threats.

Keen to explore our Communication Platform and the wide array of services we provide? Or perhaps you'd like to engage in a conversation about protecting your business against online threats? Get in touch with one of our experts.

Get Started With Our Secured Communications Platform Today!

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Christel Brouwers
Copywriter at CM.com. Passionate about language and getting CM.com’s message out there. Shares content about CPaaS, Payments and more.

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